AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
7th Abbey Nevoli
(Happy 15th!)
Nathan Laing
9th Dee Castagnoli
15th Keely Corral
11th Erik Rasmussen
17th Ron Miller
27th Ruth Eastman
We will be having a salad potluck at Randi's house and doing our final preparatioins for our 25th anniversary party. Call or e-mail Randi with what kind of salad you are going to bring. Randi will provide bread, drinks, and goodies. Everyone's participation is needed to make our 25th party a success!
July Meeting Recap
from the Prez
There were six
of us in attendance, and considering vacation time, that was a
very good turnout. That number worked out well for the "Phase
10" game that we played after the brief meeting. We will
need to change the meeting in September to the second Thursday
of the month. This meeting is very important, as it's our last
before the "big day" on the 17th. Hope this works for
the majority.
We are asking for a volunteer to make a sign in book for the party. Can you please let Sue Butler know if you are interested.
A ping pong table is already at the cabana, and the Butler's are bringing the foosball table. Randy has a felt poker table top, but what we will need are some regular card tables. The long ones at the cabana will be fine for Mexican Train and for just sitting a mingling, but not for poker. Also, anyone have connections for a free, or very reasonably priced roulette and/or craps table?
Please be sure to spread the word about the party to all that you are in contact with. RSVP's to Joan Wilson. For the mom's luncheon you can RSVP to Joan and/or Randi.
Don't forget to put your deposit in for the Aptos trip. Send checks to Vicki.
A bowling night at Cambrian is in the works for possibly November 12th (Veterans Weekend) or December 3rd. If interested contact Sue Butler. We'll see which Saturday night works for the majority.
Summer Thursday Coffee
Clatches Continue!
Meet your Las
Madres friends for some coffee on Thursday mornings this summer.
Those who are available meet at the Starbuck's near Cosentino's
around 9am EVERY Thursday morning (except for Pinecrest week).
On Thursday, August 11, Laura has invited us to "Coffee by
the Pond" in her back yard. So, RSVP Laura
if you can come. Her address is 3019 Brook Estates Ct.
Directions: From San Felipe Road going south turn left at The
Villages Parkway, left on Hounds Estates (it is the street before
the villages gate). Right on Silver Estates, Left on Creek Estates
and Brook Estate is first cul de sac on the right.
Mediterranean Cruise
Update
There are still
available cabins for next summer's cruise on July 13th. If you
(or friends) are still interested in going, put down your deposit
ASAP (call 800- 688-8500 and ask for Betty). Remember your deposit
is fully refundable up to the beginning of May. Celebrity will
only hold our cabins for a few more weeks and then they need to
release them to the general public. Don't miss out on a fun group
experience! If you have any questions, call Randi at 227-5221
or e-mail Randi.
Saturday Coffee Clatches
Continue
Meet your Las
Madres friends for some coffee and conversation at the Starbuck's
at White and Aborn on Saturday mornings at 9am. Every third Saturday
is a field trip. For our August "Away Coffee" we'll
be going on SUNDAY, August 21, to Campbell and check out the Sonoma
Chicken Coop (on Campbell Ave and 2nd St) where we are having
our 25th LM luncheon. Meet at 9am for breakfast and then we can
go to the great Campbell Farmer's Market on that street.
Hope you can come and join us!
e-Mail Tidbit
I Like Being Old!
The other day a younger person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.
Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body-- but I don't agonize over it for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement Bear that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderfu tunes of the 50's & 60ies, and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten - and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer the question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. For the first time in my life, I don't have to have a reason to do the things I want to do. If I want to play games on the computer all day, lay on the couch and watch old movies for hours or don't want to go to the beach or a movie, I have earned that right. I have put in my time doing everything for others, so now I can be a bit selfish without feeling guilty.
I sometimes feel sorry for the young. They face a far different world than I knew growing up, where we feared the law, respected the old, the flag, our country. I never felt the need to use filthy language in order to express myself. And they too will grow old someday.
I am grateful to have been born when I was, into a kinder, gentler world.
Yes, I like being old!
